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House Pegasson
House Pegasson is an Imperial Knight House of ancient provenance that is directly loyal to the Imperium of Man rather than the Adeptus Mechanicus. House Pegasson hails from the Knight World of Adrastapol as do House Draconis and House Minotos which whom House Pegasson maintains a strong and century-old alliance. On their homeworld, the Scions of House Pegasson are held in high esteem as they are considered the wisest and most educated of all Adrastapol's Knights, and their counsel is often sought by the other Nobles of the world. Following the treachery of House Chimaeros and House Wyvorn during the Donatos Uprising, House Pegasson's strength was nearly extinguished and it is still recuperating from its severe losses. Among the culturally conservative Imperial Knights, House Pegasson is unusual in that it is a firm believer in the equality of its male and female Nobles. Alone amongst the Knight Houses of Adrastapol, House Pegasson allows for women to take up the mantle of House ruler and the Marchionnesses of House Pegasson have always proven more than up to the task. House History House Pegasson is one of the eight Knight Houses that initially formed to rule the Knight World of Adrastapol. When the galactic civil war of the Horus Heresy reached their homeworld, the Knights of House Pegasson were part of the great coalition of Adrastapolian Knights which took to the field against the Questor Traitoris of House Hydrax and House Medusos. The Knight Houses of Adrastapol forged a grand alliance and fought in many Imperial campaigns. When the Ork Warboss Skarjaw attacked Adrastapol at the head of his WAAAGH!, House Pegasson stood shoulder to shoulder with the other Knight Houses but was powerless to prevent the destruction of House Manticos. Worse yet, it was the shortcomings of House Pegasson that permitted Skarjaw to break through their lines and assail the Draconspire, the fortress of House Draconis. Fortunately, the Gatekeeper of the Draconspire, Tolwyn Tan Draconis, acted upon his instincts and led a surprise attack against the Ork Warboss which slew both Skarjaw and the towering Squiggoth it used as a warbeast. Following the Ork Wars, House Pegasson continued to play its part in the alliance of the ruling Adrastapolian Knight Houses. The population of towering Squiggoths that remained on Adrastapol following the Ork invasion was hunted to extinction by the world's Nobles as well as the Feral Ork populations that soon emerged as the descendants of the survivors of Skarjaw's WAAAGH!. Alongside Houses Draconis and Chimaeros, House Pegasson also mobilised for the Imperial Galhorm Crusade at the end of which the crown of the High King of Adrastapol passed from House Chimaeros to House Draconis. As the smallest of the Knight Houses of Adrastapol, House Pegasson never stood in the front ranks of the world's Nobles but always performed admirably in battle. In marked contrast to other Houses such as House Wyvorn and House Minotos, House Pegasson never complained about their role on the battlefield, content to let other, more powerful Houses charge into the thick of the fighting where the greatest glory was to be won, but also where the greatest bloodprice would be paid. When the Imperium called upon High King Tolwyn Tan Draconis to gather his Knights and march upon Donatos Primus, House Pegasson naturally answered the call. Mustering its entire strength, House Pegasson fought in the devastating Donatos Uprising and suffered the most severe casualties of any House save for House Minotos. Severely depleted and always small in number, House Pegasson's continued survival seems doubtful. Notable Campaigns *'Horus Heresy (Unknown Date.M31)' - While the Imperium of Man tore itself asunder in the great interstellar civil war known as the Horus Heresy, Adrastapol had prospered under the aegis of High King Rhoderic Tan Chimaeros. But the taint of Chaos had also taken roots on Adrastapol as both House Hydrax and House Medusos openly declared for the Traitor Warmaster, Horus Lupercal, and waged a war of conquest that took a heavy toll on the remaining Knight Houses. House Pegasson dutifully joined its forces with those of the other Houses to defeat the Renegade Knights. *'Ork Wars (Unknown Date)' - When the Ork Warboss Skarjaw led his WAAAGH! to the Knight World of Adrastapol, House Pegasson joined a large coalition of other knightly Houses under the aegis of House Chimaeros to defend their homeworld from the depredations of the Orks. Belonging to one of the most savage and feral tribes of his race, Skarjaw and his Orks rode to battle on towering warbeasts known as Squiggoths. These great beasts can easily pose a threat to Imperial Knights, a fact the defenders of Adrastapol became painfully aware of when House Manticos' ancestral home and fortress was destroyed by the Greenskins. To its eternal shame, House Pegasson let itself become embroiled in the fighting with the Orks and was unable to prevent Skarjaw and his retinue from breaking through their lines and reaching the mighty fortress of House Draconis, the Draconspire. Fortunately, the Gatekeeper of the Draconspire, Tolwyn Tan Draconis, acted upon his instincts and led a decisive counterattack which was able to slay Skarjaw and break the power and cohesion of his WAAAGH! However, the survivors of this invasion soon turned feral and scattered. In the years that followed, the Knights of Adrastapol mercilessly hunted down the remaining Orks and Squiggoths until their homeworld was declared purged from the xenos filth which had befallen it. *'Galhorm Crusade (Unknown Date)' - Very little is known about this obscure Imperial Crusade save that it was a costly battle for the Imperial troops involved and especially so for the Knights of Adrastapol. Following the death of the Kingsward, Gedric Tan Chimaeros, the crown of the High Kings of Adrastapol passed on to House Draconis. *'Donatos Uprising (Unknown Date.M41)' - Also referred to as the Donatos War, the conflict on the Industrial World of Donatos Primus marked House Pegasson's darkest hour. What started as a Chaos insurrection initiated by Chaos Cults loyal to the Word Bearers Traitor Legion soon turned into a bloody civil war when large portions of the Planetary Defence Forces switched allegiance and supported the Word Bearers invading their homeworld. The Imperium reacted with uncustomary swiftness, counterinvading Donatos Primus at the head of several regiments of Astra Militarum and the combined forces of the Knights of Adrastapol. Under the guidance of High King Tolwyn Tan Draconis, the Imperial troops soon pushed the insurrectionists back. In what was believed to be the final battle of this conflict, House Chimaeros and House Wyvorn betrayed their allies, catching them in a murderous crossfire which nearly brought about the end of House Pegasson and House Minotos. House Draconis escaped with less casualties but mourned the loss of High King Tolwyn. Following his betrayal, Viscount Gerraint Tan Chimaeros proclaimed himself High King of Adrastapol while House Pegasson openly supported the claim of Tolwyn's son, Danial Tan Draconis. Hard-pressed by the resurgent Traitors, House Pegasson suffered further casualties in an expertly conducted ambush by House Chimaeros, leaving it with but a handful of operational Knights. Despite their high rate of attrition, House Pegasson resolutely stood by its allies and joined them in a desperate but ultimately victorious attack on the enemy stronghold which broke the hold of Chaos upon Donatos Primus and which would see Donatos returned to the fold of the Imperium. Notable House Pegasson Knights *''Oracle'' - Oracle was the personal Knight armour of Marchioness Lauret Tan Pegasson. Oracle was destroyed in the opening volleys of House Wyvorn's treachery during the Donatos Uprising. *''Sagasitus'' - A Knight Paladin of great fortitude, Sagasitus was the mount of Lady Eleanat Dar Pegasson during the Donatos Uprising. The Machine Spirit of Sagasitus was especially powerful and competent in boosting the Knight's Auspex, which made it a perfect scout engine. The Sagasitus would survive the war on Donatos and eventually return to Adrastapol. *''Saggitaire'' - Saggitaire was the mount of Lady Tamsane Dar Pegasson during the war on Donatos Primus. One of the few survivors of House Pegasson, Saggitaire resolutely faced the maddened Archduke Dunkan Tan Wyvorn and his powerful Acastus Knight Porphyrion and successfully damaged it with its Thunderstrike Gauntlet before Lady Suset Dar Draconis delivered the killing shot. Notable House Pegasson Personnel *'Marchioness Elyssa Tan Pegasson' - The Marchioness Elyssa was the ruler of House Pegasson during the Ork Wars. *'Marchioness Lauret Tan Pegasson' - The Marchioness Lauret was the ruler of House Pegasson prior to the Donatos Uprising. As befitting her status, Marchioness Lauret fought in every battle of this conflict and her counsel was highly respected amongst Adrastapol's knightly households and the war council of the Imperial troops. Piloting her own Knight, Oracle, the Marchioness was slain during the first assault on the Valle Electrum, shot at point-blank range by the Knights of House Wyvorn when they joined House Chimaeros in rebellion. *'Lady Eleanat Dar Pegasson' - As one of the few survivors of the Donatos Uprising, Lady Eleanat is a well-respected Knight who is justly famed for her accuracy and tracking sense. It was in this task that High King Danial entrusted her with tracking down the Renegade Knights of House Chimaeros, a task she performed admirably. During the fierce fighting for the Loyalist mustering point and the Valle Electrum, Lady Eleanat displayed the qualities of a true leader, being frequently entrusted with leading her own lance of Imperial Knights. When High King Danial was briefly missing, Lady Jennika Tan Draconis gave her the command of the entire taskforce while she sought her brother. *'Sire Jeremial Dar Pegasson' - Sire Jeremial Dar Pegasson was one of the many Nobles slain on Donatos Primus. Although he survived both the initial treachery of Houses Chimaeros and Wyvorn and the ambush at the Arbites fortress, Sire Jeremial was slain in the final assault on the Valle Electrum. *'Lady Tamsane Dar Pegasson' - Like Lady Eleanat, Lady Tamsane is a survivor of the gruesome battles of the Donatos Uprising, but where Lady Eleanat emerged as a great leader, Tamsane Dar Pegasson forged a reputation as a great warrior, a member of the trio of Knights that vanquished Archduke Dunkan Tan Wyvorn in his relic Acastus Knight Prophyrion. House Strength As the smallest Knight House of Adrastapol's many Noble households, House Pegasson never boasted the numbers to become a great military power. This seems not to have been always the case, but House Pegasson never truly recovered from the severe blow dealt to it during the Ork Wars. To reflect this status, House Pegasson was rated as a lower Tertius-rank House with a little over 30 active suits of Knight armour at its disposal. Of these -- as seems to be the norm on Adrastapol -- House Pegasson favoured the Knight Paladin and its variants such as the Knight Errant and the Knight Crusader. In stark contrast to other Houses, House Pegasson shuns the Knight Gallant due to its focus on hand-to-hand combat, its low numbers among the House's complement having gradually led House Pegasson to specialise in engagements at range. House Appearance House Colours The colours of House Pegasson are a light shade of blue -- referred to as "ice blue" -- and silver. House Arms The arms of House Pegasson bear the ancient heraldic symbol of the pegasson, or pegasus, a mythological creature of Old Earth. Signature Weapon On Adrastapol, each Knight House has developed its own martial traditions that reflect its way of thinking and the way it wages war. While less exotic than other Adrastapolian weapons, the Pegassian Rapier is a thing of beauty. For a sword, it is light and yet strong, capable of deflecting enemy blows and swiftly striking back. An elegant weapon, wielding it demands a great deal of training as its thin blade is unable to cleave through muscles and bone like the much heavier broadsword. The Pegassian Rapier relies on the accuracy of its wielder to hit and pierce the opponent's vital spots. This requires the rapier's wielder to be light of foot and more dexterous than the opponent before delivering precisely calculated blows. See Also *'Donatosian War' *'House Draconis' Sources *''Kingsblade'' (Novel) by Andy Clark *''Becoming'' (Short Story) by Andy Clark Category:P Category:Imperial Walkers Category:Imperium Category:Knight Houses Category:Walkers Category:Imperial Knights